So here are the details regarding this little "pole". I am going to be purchasing a new frame in the not too distant future. I have narrowed my selections down to two choices. I had locked up my decision, but have some last minute doubts. As such I will present both sides of the proverbial coin to you fellow riders and some background information to assist or amuse me in my decision. It's not all about me though (usually it is), so I will award the most impressive response with a fantastic prize package. Not as good as Mr Craig's, but whatever.
The background: A tiny bit about your host. If you already know me then I am sorry about your luck. This is going to be my 27th year mountain biking. I began riding full suspension bikes back in '98 and have not looked back. I favor rough and nasty riding as best represented by the beautiful madness that can be found on the trails in the Pisgah National Forrest. Rugged all day crushers are my favorites and for the most part while I have become a better climber in last five years, I still view ascents as the toll I submit for as crazed a descent as I can find. I earn my turns though as I have never been one much for bike parks or sessioning anything. I favor durability over lightweight as I ride aggressively and I am a bigger guy clocking in at around two bucks +/- with gear.
In addition, I have a few revered bicycle idiosyncrasies. I prefer simplicity, I have long been a Santa Cruz bicycle fan and I like flat black paint jobs. I think carbon fiber is fine and dandy, but not at the moment for me as a frame material. I also seem to also ride bikes who emanate from a company that begins with the letter "S". This is my insanity not yours. However, I broke the "S" rule last year when I switched to a Kona for my cyclocross frame. I was sure I would hate it (oy! it was such a deal, I could not pass it up), but it has been quite the opposite.
It is in my new found enlightenment that a challenger to my beloved "S" and Santa Cruz bikes has a arisen. The Banshee Rune V2 (stats) has caught my attention as of late. In a nutshell, it is almost the same as my initial choice of a new 650b Heckler (stats). It has the same top tube, stand over height and chainstay length. It will accept all of the kit I have set aside for the Heckler without any issues (SRAM XO 1X10 drivetrain, Avid Code R brakes, Reverb seatpost, Rock Shox Pike 160 27.5 Solo Air fork and last but certainly not least my Cane Creek DB Air shock.
The Banshee possesses some pointed differences that I will condense. It is has a slacker front end by a degree, a longer wheelbase by an inch, 10 more mm of travel and a higher bottom bracket by an inch. Not to mention it uses a KS Link suspension platform which is nearly identical to the VPP system as found on Santa Cruz and Intense bikes. The Heckler in contrast uses a simple single pivot suspension. The Heckler despite its more simple system is a bike I am intimately familiar with having owned four different Santa Cruz single pivot bikes including two previous Hecklers. I like the single pivot design for its simplicity, durability and feel.
I have however, pedaled a couple of friends Banshee's around and really liked how they felt as well. They are very stout and accelerate well. I have raved about their particular geometry (steep seat angle/slack front end) before having experienced it initially on a Kona Honzo a couple of years ago. None of my friends who both beat the bejeebus out of their bikes (Banshee Primes, the Rune's big wheeled brethren) have had any trouble with them regarding the pivots. Last but not least the Rune is available in complete murdered out black on flat black colorway too which I am totally ghey over.
A few final points. The costs are about the same give or take a couple hundred dollars. I am a long time SC and S bike fan, but that has been shaken up by other horizons in the last year. I know I would like either one, but there is something about extra burl of the Banshee that is appealing to me. That said, even with the extra beef on the Rune the final build on either will be less than a half pound difference.
What say yee? Fabulous prizes await!!! Let these soothing sounds assist you in your response.
:devil:
The background: A tiny bit about your host. If you already know me then I am sorry about your luck. This is going to be my 27th year mountain biking. I began riding full suspension bikes back in '98 and have not looked back. I favor rough and nasty riding as best represented by the beautiful madness that can be found on the trails in the Pisgah National Forrest. Rugged all day crushers are my favorites and for the most part while I have become a better climber in last five years, I still view ascents as the toll I submit for as crazed a descent as I can find. I earn my turns though as I have never been one much for bike parks or sessioning anything. I favor durability over lightweight as I ride aggressively and I am a bigger guy clocking in at around two bucks +/- with gear.
In addition, I have a few revered bicycle idiosyncrasies. I prefer simplicity, I have long been a Santa Cruz bicycle fan and I like flat black paint jobs. I think carbon fiber is fine and dandy, but not at the moment for me as a frame material. I also seem to also ride bikes who emanate from a company that begins with the letter "S". This is my insanity not yours. However, I broke the "S" rule last year when I switched to a Kona for my cyclocross frame. I was sure I would hate it (oy! it was such a deal, I could not pass it up), but it has been quite the opposite.
It is in my new found enlightenment that a challenger to my beloved "S" and Santa Cruz bikes has a arisen. The Banshee Rune V2 (stats) has caught my attention as of late. In a nutshell, it is almost the same as my initial choice of a new 650b Heckler (stats). It has the same top tube, stand over height and chainstay length. It will accept all of the kit I have set aside for the Heckler without any issues (SRAM XO 1X10 drivetrain, Avid Code R brakes, Reverb seatpost, Rock Shox Pike 160 27.5 Solo Air fork and last but certainly not least my Cane Creek DB Air shock.
The Banshee possesses some pointed differences that I will condense. It is has a slacker front end by a degree, a longer wheelbase by an inch, 10 more mm of travel and a higher bottom bracket by an inch. Not to mention it uses a KS Link suspension platform which is nearly identical to the VPP system as found on Santa Cruz and Intense bikes. The Heckler in contrast uses a simple single pivot suspension. The Heckler despite its more simple system is a bike I am intimately familiar with having owned four different Santa Cruz single pivot bikes including two previous Hecklers. I like the single pivot design for its simplicity, durability and feel.
I have however, pedaled a couple of friends Banshee's around and really liked how they felt as well. They are very stout and accelerate well. I have raved about their particular geometry (steep seat angle/slack front end) before having experienced it initially on a Kona Honzo a couple of years ago. None of my friends who both beat the bejeebus out of their bikes (Banshee Primes, the Rune's big wheeled brethren) have had any trouble with them regarding the pivots. Last but not least the Rune is available in complete murdered out black on flat black colorway too which I am totally ghey over.
A few final points. The costs are about the same give or take a couple hundred dollars. I am a long time SC and S bike fan, but that has been shaken up by other horizons in the last year. I know I would like either one, but there is something about extra burl of the Banshee that is appealing to me. That said, even with the extra beef on the Rune the final build on either will be less than a half pound difference.
What say yee? Fabulous prizes await!!! Let these soothing sounds assist you in your response.
:devil: